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GRADE: B+

CD • While Seattle rock-influenced singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile has never been able to capture the verve and zing of her live shows  catch her headlining Red Butte Garden on June 15  on her new album "Bear Creek" she comes the closest. Named after the bucolic studio in Washington state where it was recorded, "Bear Creek" finds Carlile (and her secret weapons, the twins Phil and Tim Hanseroth) mining rare personal struggles with an earthy, rootsy approach that she has often eschewed in the past. With an evocative, desirous vibrato and even touching yodels, Carlile's acoustic effort adds ache to lyrics such as "If I live to be 100 /Will I ever cross your mind?"

David Burger 

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